Unknown
by Catalina H
Summary: The team’s investigation into a fifteen year old murder suspect leaves more questions than answers. Nothing is ever what it seems, and the search for the truth may not be an easy road to travel.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** The team's investigation into a fifteen year old murder suspect leaves more questions than answers. Nothing is ever what it seems, and the search for the truth may not be an easy road to travel.

**Disclaimer: I don't own NUMB3RS, it's characters, it's rights, anything like that. I don't own anything, I don't claim to own anything, and I'm not making money off this so please don't sue.**

**A/N: **Ok, well I sorta just got something in my head and started writing. I really don't have a specific plan for this story yet, I just started typing and I'm just letting the story develop itself. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Unknown

Chapter 1

Don stood there, arms crossed, watching her through the glass. She was sitting there, slouching slightly, remarkably calm considering the situation, hands handcuffed behind her back, not looking at anything in particular, only occasionally glancing up if she heard something outside the room. Her clothes were still covered in blood, but it didn't seem to bother her. She couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen, but her sober expression made her seem mature beyond her years.

Their search for a suspect in their most recent case had led them to this girl. Agents searching the area where their suspect had last been seen had heard a commotion near one of the buildings and upon investigation found her kneeling over a man in the alleyway who was losing a lot of blood quickly, he died on the way to the hospital, and they were still waiting for an ID on him. She'd tried to run when the agents announced themselves, but back-up had caught up with her a few blocks away. She still had yet to say anything to anyone.

Megan had tried for almost an hour to get her to talk, but the girl didn't say a word, she barely showed any emotion or had any reactions at all. They still didn't know who she was, or anything about her for that matter. The lab was running her prints, so hopefully they'd be able to get a hit in AFIS, and then maybe they'd be able to figure out who she was and what had happened in that alleyway.

"Hey," Megan greeted softly, walking in.

"Hey," Don replied mechanically, not looking away from the girl sitting in the interrogation room.

"I still can't figure it out," she admitted. Don nodded in agreement.

"We get a hit on her prints yet?" he asked.

"Not yet, but they're still working on it."

Don frowned slightly, before sighing. "I'm gonna try talking to her," he said, starting to walk out.

"You think you can get her to talk?" Megan questioned, slightly doubtful.

Don chuckled hollowly. "Probably not, but it's better than standing around waiting," he countered. She smirked and shrugged, not being able to argue that point.

0

When Don entered the interrogation room, the girl looked up at him. They continued watching each other as he sat down across from her. After a few moments of silence, she finally looked away, her dirty brown hair falling into her face. But looking into her eyes Don saw something. He didn't see an emotionless killer, he'd caught a glimpse into a haunted human being. He'd seen the pain she was obviously trying to hide. She was just a scared kid, Don realized.

"What's your name?" he asked gently, trying not to push her, just wanting to get her to say something, anything.

She didn't answer. She didn't even look at him.

Don sighed and tried again. "How old are you?"

Still she didn't respond.

Don watched her for a second before deciding to try a different approach.

"OK, if you don't wanna answer the easy questions, how 'bout we move on to the bigger ones…like, what were you doing in that alleyway?" he inquired bluntly.

She didn't answer, but Don noticed her tense slightly.

"He died, you know, the guy in the alleyway," he mentioned. "Who was he?" he questioned. No response. "Did you kill him?" Don pressed.

The girl still didn't look at him. In fact, she didn't move at all. Don waited for a reply, but the only sound in the room was their breathing. Neither one of them showed any signs of breaking the silence, it was as if they were having a battle of wills.

Finally, Don broke the silence by asking, in a softer tone, "You have any family?"

Instead of looking at him, she actually made a point to look away.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Don asked, noticing her reaction.

She finally glanced up at him, but didn't hold eye contact.

Don bit his lips for a second before asking, "Isn't anyone going to be wondering where you are?"

For a second, Don could've swore she looked like she want to laugh, though her expression seemed to be a mix between her wanting to find that question humorous and the stoicism written on her face.

"No," she finally answered quietly, barely above a whisper.

"Why not?" he asked softly.

She didn't answer, instead looking away again.

Don frowned slightly, watching her for a minute before asking, "You realize how much trouble you're in, don't you?"

It was a second before she sighed quietly and nodded, staring at the table.

He cocked his head sideways slightly, regarding the girl sitting across the table from him carefully. "So why don't you just tell us what happened so we can help you?" he suggested gently.

She looked as if she wanted to say something, Don could see the internal struggle going on behind her jade eyes, but she seemed to decide against it.

Don took a deep breath and put his forearms on the table, leaning on them for support. "How are we supposed to help you if you don't talk to us?" he challenged quietly.

The internal struggle was back, written on her face. It seemed like she was torn between wanting to actually talk or maybe just have a sarcastic remark and not saying anything at all. Not saying anything won out, and she looked away again.

Don sighed, but before he could say anything else there was a knock on the window. He looked over and saw Megan waving him over.

He looked back at the girl and said, "I'll be right back."

0

"What's up?" he asked curiously after he shut the door to the interrogation room.

"The ADA just called, wants to know why we haven't turned over the case to LAPD," Megan informed him.

"Because we're not done with our investigation, that's why," Don retorted.

Megan nodded. "That's what I told him, but he's on his way over anyway."

"What's so special about this case?" he wondered aloud.

She shrugged. "Good question. I think maybe a lot of the store owners and residents in the area might be putting some pressure on them to get this resolved quickly."

Don rolled his eyes. "Great," he muttered. Megan nodded in agreement.

"So…you got her to say something at least," she pointed out, changing the subject.

He shrugged slightly. "Yeah, one word," he retorted.

"Well, it's something. And she did nod too, so maybe she'll start responding to questions if you keep at it," Megan replied.

"Yeah, maybe," Don mumbled, looking back at the girl sitting in the interrogation room.

Megan watched him for a second. "What's bugging you?" she questioned.

"She's just a kid, a scared kid," he answered, with a look mixed between puzzled and concerned covering his features.

She sighed, looking at the girl as well. "Yeah, she is," Megan agreed.

"If she'd just talk to us," Don muttered exasperatedly.

Megan paused a second before saying, "I think it's a little more complicated than that."

"What do you mean?" Don inquired.

"I think she really is just a scared kid. I think she's probably afraid to talk," she elaborated. "She probably doesn't trust people in authority, so she's probably scared to talk to us."

Don furrowed his eyebrows, it made sense. It would explain why she seemed to struggle with wanting to say something, but something was holding her back.

"I wonder what happened to her," he mused.

Megan looked sideways at him for a second then shrugged. "It's hard to tell. There could be a lot of things that could have made her wary of authority figures."

A minute later, David came over with a middle-aged man in a suit.

"Guys, this is ADA Robertson," he introduced.

"Don Eppes, this is Megan Reeves," Don greeted, shaking the man's hand.

"Ah yes, Agent Reeves and I spoke on the phone," Robertson replied.

"So what can I do for you Mr. Robertson?" Don questioned bluntly.

Robertson sighed. "Well, as I told Agent Reeves on the phone, I'm curious as to why you have not handed over this case to LAPD. If I'm not mistaken, this isn't a case that requires the FBI," he replied coolly.

David and Megan glanced at each other, while Don just stared at Robertson.

"Well, considering our guys are the ones who ran across it –" Don started, but Robertson cut him off.

"Yes, and we thank your men for that. However, I still don't see why you haven't handed it over to LAPD."

"Because we still haven't determined if it is related to our case or not, and until we do this is still _our_ case," Don replied firmly.

Robertson stood there for a minute, staring at Don incredulously. Finally, he looked away, and happened to see the girl in the interrogation room.

"Is that the suspect your men apprehended trying to flee from the scene?" he questioned, intrigued.

"Yes."

"Could I have a minute with her?" Robertson asked politely, though he sounded a little eager.

"No," Don answered.

Robertson turned to Don with a look of arrogance. "Excuse me?" he asked coolly, in a low tone.

"I said no," Don replied calmly.

"And why not?" Robertson shot back.

"Because she hasn't been charged with anything yet, so you have no reason to go in there," Don answered simply, still retaining his calm demeanor even though Robertson's temper was obviously bubbling under the surface waiting to blow.

"And why has she not been charged with anything yet?" Roberson questioned patiently, though his tone was strained.

"Because we're not done with our investigation."

Don and Robertson had another stare off, neither going to give in.

Finally, Robertson huffed, "Fine. But we're not through here."

"I expect not," Don muttered under his breath as Robertson stormed off toward the elevators.

"Hey guys," Colby said, coming over holding a file. "The lab got a hit off our mystery girl's prints."

"Oh yeah, so who is she?" Don asked as Megan took the file from Colby and started reading over it.

"Jamie Sanderfauld," Megan read. "Fifteen years old. She's been in foster care since she was two. A couple stints in juvie, nothing major, several misdemeanors, and a couple resisting arrest charges." Megan paused for a second.

"What is it?" David questioned.

"She's been in about twenty different foster homes since she was six, looks like the longest she ever stayed in one was about seven weeks," she replied dejectedly.

"Wow, that's a lot of moving around," Colby muttered.

"Yeah," Megan agreed, then looked up at Don. "That probably explains why she has trouble trusting authority figures, she's never had anyone she could really count on. It looks like she's had three different social workers."

"Shouldn't someone notice she's missing by now?" Colby asked bluntly.

Megan looked back at the file, and sighed. "She ran away from her last home almost three months ago." She shook her head. "The system's not perfect, there are so many kids and not enough workers to keep track of them all. She's just one of the many that's fallen through the cracks," she said sadly, looking back at the girl sitting the interrogation room. "I'll go call her social worker," she sighed, heading over to her desk.

"Just doesn't seem right," Colby commented, glancing at the girl.

"I agree with you there," David said.

Don looked over at David. "Hey, have we gotten an ID on our vic yet?" he questioned.

"Not yet," he answered. "We're running fingerprints and DNA, but so far nothing. The lab said it could take a while."

Don nodded contemplatively. "Why don't you guys go canvas the area, see if anyone recognizes him."

David and Colby nodded and left. Don stood there for a minute, thinking over everything, trying to figure it all out. Megan came over and broke him out of his preoccupation.

"Well, the social worker says she won't be able to make it till tomorrow," she informed him. "She said just hold her until everything gets sorted out."

Don huffed dryly. "So basically, stick her in a cell until she gets charged with murder or the social worker has time to find a place to put her."

Megan nodded gloomily. "Pretty much."

Don just shook his head. Neither of them were too happy with those options.

0

Just like last time, she looked up at Don when he entered the interrogation room. But this time, instead of watching him as he sat down across from her, she looked away.

"Who was the guy?" she asked quietly, not looking up at Don.

"What guy?" he replied patiently, trying to see if she'd look at him.

She glanced up, but wouldn't look him in the eyes. "The guy in the suit you all were talking to," she answered in the same, barely audible, voice.

"That was the ADA, wanting to know why we hadn't turned over the case to LAPD yet," Don told her truthfully.

She was still refusing to look at him, but asked, "Why haven't you?"

"Because we still don't know what happened, and until we do it's still our case," he answered. She was glancing down again, but Don was pretty sure he could see that she was thinking about everything. "Think you could help us out, tell us what happened?" he asked slowly, leaning on the table.

She didn't respond. Nor did she make any other movement other than breathing.

Don sighed as he watched the girl across from him. "Look Jamie," he started gently, noticing her glance up at her name. "It's like I said before, we can't help you if you don't talk to us."

Jamie held eye contact for a moment before looking away again. Don could see in her eyes that she still wasn't going to say anything soon.

"We talked to your social worker," he mentioned. She didn't say anything, but Don noticed her tense up. "She's not gonna be able to come by to talk to us until tomorrow."

He could see the internal struggle on her face again, but instead of deciding against saying something, Jamie asked quietly in a dejected tone, "So…what happens now?"

Don bit his lips for a second, watching her attentively, before sighing and saying, "Well, until we figure something else out, you'll be at the Juvenile Detention Center."

Jamie nodded slightly, but otherwise showed no reaction. She looked up when Megan entered the room, but looked away again a second later. Megan and Don shared a look, but said nothing aloud.

"Megan's gonna go with you," Don told Jamie. "She's gonna make sure everything goes OK, and get your clothes to take to the lab so they can examine all the blood."

She didn't respond, but she didn't put up a struggle when Megan said, "Let's go" either. Instead, Jamie just stood up and went with Megan willingly.

Don watched them until they got on the elevator, and then went back to work, hoping to find something to make this entire situation seem less confusing.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, hope you liked this first chapter! I'm working on the next one already, so hopefully it'll be up soon. This semester has just been crazy busy so I haven't had a lot of time to write, or update my other stories either. Things should calm down after the holidays though, so if you're waiting for me to update one of my other stories, I am trying, but I've just been too busy. Anyway, hope you like this story so far, reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

Don sighed tiredly, running a hand over his face, leaning back in his chair. Though they'd finally found out the vic's name was Arthur Milson, he happened to live about eight blocks from where he was killed, they still had no clue what had happened in that alleyway. David and Colby were looking into Milson's background, trying to find anything that could give them a lead, or connect him to Jamie. Megan still hadn't gotten back either, though he knew sometimes it did take a while to book suspects, he still hadn't expected Megan to be gone this long.

"Hey," Megan greeted quickly, getting Don to look up at her.

"What's going on?" he asked curiously, he could hear the anxiety in her voice.

Megan took a deep breath as she sat down in her chair, and handed him a file. "The officers found those when they were booking Jamie," she informed him, gesturing for him to look inside the file.

Don opened the file apprehensively and was greeted by something he hadn't expected. The pictures showed numerous bruises covering Jamie's torso. Some were obviously new, as they were just starting to get their color, and some were very pronounced and vivid, while others had faded for the most part, they were obviously older. There were also several scars along her arms and abdomen, a few on her legs as well, only a couple seemed fresh though.

He ran a hand over his mouth and looked up at Megan, who was wearing a look of disgust that he was sure was probably mirrored in his own expression.

"What the hell happened to her?" Don finally asked in a whisper.

Megan took a deep breath and shook her head. "No clue. When I asked her what happened she said, 'Nothing'."

They were both silent for a moment.

Then Don asked, "She gonna be okay?"

Megan nodded. "Yeah, the doctor took a look, said other than some soreness she should be fine. Physically at least," she added in a softer tone.

Don nodded. He closed his eyes for a second and then asked the harder question. "Were there any signs of sexual assault?"

She took a deep breath and looked Don in the eyes. "She wouldn't let the doctor check," Megan informed him. He gave her a questioning look. "We can't force her to give consent, Don."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know," he admitted quietly.

Megan sighed. "But…her refusing consent makes me think that there probably has been a history of sexual abuse," she told him honestly.

Don shook his head. "Man…" he sighed.

Megan nodded. "Yeah…" she agreed.

0

"OK, Milson worked as a janitor, rode the bus to work everyday. He lived alone, no wife, no kids. Neighbors say they think he had a girlfriend, but no name or description," David started informing Don and Megan.

"The landlord also said that he saw Milson leaving yesterday afternoon, and he looked agitated and angry," Colby added.

"Did he have any idea why?" Megan questioned. Colby shook his head.

"What about the girlfriend? No idea who she might be?" Don asked.

Colby shrugged.

"They think he might've met her online," David said.

"What time did the landlord say he left?" Don inquired.

"Um…around two-thirty," Colby answered, glancing back at his notes.

"And the agents found him around five," Don stated.

"So that leaves about two and a half hours unaccounted for," Megan mused.

"So where was he from the time he left his apartment angry and when the agents found him bleeding to death?" David wondered.

"I don't know, but let's find out," Don said determinedly. "David, you and Colby go talk to coworkers, neighbors, family, friends, anyone you can find. See if any of them have any idea who this girlfriend might be. I'll call Amita, see if she can take a look at Milson's computer, see if she can find anything on that end. Megan, why don't you see if you can find any security footage from that area, see if we can't find out where he went during those two and half hours."

0

"Hey Don," Amita greeted cheerfully when he walked into Charlie's office.

"Hey, what's up?" Charlie questioned, turning away from his chalkboard and looking over at his brother.

"Hey guys," Don said hurriedly.

"A case?" Charlie guessed. Don nodded.

"I was hoping you could take a look at this guy's computer for me," Don told Amita, holding up a laptop.

"Sure," she agreed, taking the laptop from him. "What am I looking for?"

"We think he had a girlfriend he might've met online, and I figured you could maybe get us a name," he replied hopefully.

Amita nodded. "I can try. It shouldn't be too difficult."

"Thanks," Don told her sincerely.

"No problem," she smiled, opening up the computer and turning it on.

"Is this for that murder you guys stumbled across?" Charlie inquired curiously.

Don nodded. "Yeah, the last time anyone saw our vic he was leaving his apartment, but that was two and half hours before our agents found him."

"I thought you already had a suspect in custody?" Charlie questioned, seemingly confused.

"We do," Don admitted hesitantly. "But it's a little more complicated than that," he shrugged.

"You don't think they did it," Charlie stated, looking at his brother carefully.

"I didn't say that Charlie," Don protested.

"No," Charlie conceded. "But you have doubts, don't you?" he questioned pointedly.

Don sighed, and shrugged slightly. "Like I said, it's complicated." Charlie looked like he wanted to say something else, so Don quickly said, "Look, I need to get back, I'll talk to you guys later."

As he was leaving Amita said, "I'll call you when I get something."

"Thanks."

0

"Hey, any luck?" Don asked Megan when he got back to the office, pulling off his jacket and setting it on the back of his chair.

"A little," she replied, turning her chair around to look at him. "A few of the stores had security cameras facing the streets and back alleys, they're sending over some footage now. There were a couple ATMs in the area too, so we're also waiting on that. Otherwise, no one really remembers seeing our vic."

Don nodded. "What about David and Colby, they get anything?" he inquired as he sat down.

"No luck with the neighbors, no friends they could find, they're still tracking down any relatives, and they're getting ready to meet with coworkers and try to find out where he liked to hang out and stuff."

"Sounds good."

"What about you?"

"Amita's looking through the computer now, said she'll call if she finds something," he answered. Megan nodded.

They went back to work, but about fifteen minutes later an older woman came over.

"Agent Reeves?"

"Yes?" Megan replied as her and Don stood to face the woman.

"I'm Patricia Taylor, Miss Sanderfauld's social worker," she introduced herself, shaking Megan's hand.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Taylor, this is Don Eppes," Megan replied politely.

"Nice to meet you Agent Eppes," Mrs. Taylor greeted, shaking Don's hand as well.

"You too," he replied.

"So," Mrs. Taylor began brusquely. "Since I assume we all know why I'm here, let's just get to it, shall we?" Her tone was sweet, yet businesslike. Don and Megan glanced at each other uneasily. "Now, what to do with Miss Sanderfauld…" she began.

"You say that like she's some possession to be divided up in a divorce or something," Megan interjected sharply. "She's a person, a fifteen year old girl."

Don glanced at Megan, and knew that she was starting to let her emotions get to her, but didn't say anything, he did agree with her after all.

Mrs. Taylor sighed exasperatedly. "I know that Agent Reeves," she assured her sincerely. "However, I also know that I have at least thirty other files on my desk waiting to be looked at. That's thirty _other_ kids that I have to worry about," she continued despondently. "We can't save everyone. We don't have near enough manpower to even try. Sometimes you just have to decide who's worth saving, who has the better chance of succeeding."

"But those are the ones who aren't going to _need_ your help as much," Megan argued. "You're only 'helping' them because they're _easier_ to help, they don't require you to work as hard."

"Agent Reeves!" Mrs. Taylor admonished. "How dare you say I'm taking the easy way out! I _do_ care about these kids," she stated firmly. She and Megan stared at each other for a minute, before she sighed. "But you have to understand…I've been doing this for almost twenty years," she told her softly. "When I started I thought I'd be able to save every kid like Jamie. But now…" She took a deep breath. "I've learned to accept that I'm not going to be able to help everyone. You have to concentrate on the ones who you _can_ save."

"And Jamie's not one of them?" This time it was Don asking.

Mrs. Taylor sighed. "Sadly, no, not anymore at least," she answered tiredly.

"What do you mean 'not anymore'?" Megan asked, in a much less offensive tone.

Mrs. Taylor gave a faint smile. "When I first met Jamie, she'd already been through quite a bit," she remembered fondly, "but I still thought she was salvageable. I thought I could still save her."

"And now?" Don questioned.

She took a deep breath. "She's been through too much, she's too broken. I don't know if she _could_ be saved anymore," Mrs. Taylor answered honestly.

Don and Megan shared a look, then turned back to the social worker.

"Mrs. Taylor…" Megan began softly. The woman looked at her. "What exactly happened to Jamie?"

"Jamie…" she began, but paused and took a deep breath. "Jamie's mother was a seventeen year old drug addict and prostitute. There's no way of even knowing who her father is. Anyway, police raided a meth lab her mother's pimp ran, arrested her mother along with several others, and found two year old Jamie. She was malnourished and small for her age, but otherwise fairly healthy. We stepped in and placed her in a foster home, hoping to eventually reunite her with her mother after she was released from prison and was clean and sober. Unfortunately, her mother died in prison from an overdose, we're still not sure how she even got hold of the drugs." Mrs. Taylor shook her head. "Jamie had no one else, so we held on to the hope that maybe one day there'd be a family who wanted to adopt her. But," she sighed. "Jamie wasn't like other kids. She didn't like to socialize with the other kids, she didn't want to talk to anyone, it was like she lived in her own little world. Most of the families we placed her with had other kids as well, and Jamie just never fit in. So, we kept having to move her around, be less selective about who we placed her with." Mrs. Taylor looked down and shook her head.

"Less selective?" Don repeated.

Mrs. Taylor sighed and nodded. "Yes. Some of those choices were probably not in Jamie's best interest, and it hurt her in the long run."

"What do you mean?" Megan questioned suspiciously, watching Mrs. Taylor closely.

She sighed, and nodded to Megan. "Yes, Agent Reeves, there were several suspected neglect and abuse complaints from teachers, neighbors, other parents."

"And you never thought they might've been right?" Megan retorted.

"Of course we did," Mrs. Taylor replied defensively. "We investigated most of the complaints, but Jamie never talked, only a couple times were we actually able to prove abuse when we found a bruise shaped like a fist one time and a handprint around her arm another. In case you weren't aware, abuse and neglect cases are hard to prove."

Megan huffed and rolled her eyes. Don could see Mrs. Taylor did look remorseful, but he still had to ask the question.

"Was there any reason for you to suspect that she was being sexually abused?" he asked her calmly.

Mrs. Taylor's eyes shot over to meet Don's. "Why would you say that?" she replied sharply.

Megan picked up the file she'd shown Don earlier and handed it to Mrs. Taylor, and said quietly, "Those were taken last night at the Detention Center when she was being booked." Mrs. Taylor's eyes widened as she looked at the pictures, it was clear she was unaware of what had been going on. "When the doctor was examining her to make sure there wasn't any serious damage, Jamie refused to let her check for signs of sexual assault," Megan informed her.

Mrs. Taylor closed her eyes and shook her head. "I was so blind," she muttered. "Why didn't I see it?"

"See what?" Don questioned.

"Jamie had the classic signs of someone who was being abused, and I just ignored it," she sighed, still shaking her head at herself.

"You ignored it?" Megan repeated heatedly.

Mrs. Taylor shrugged. "I just thought she wasn't over what had happened before. I hadn't been her social worker before when those complaints occurred, so I didn't know how she reacted. So, I ordered her to see a psychologist, but they said Jamie would spend the entire session just sitting there, not saying or doing anything." Don and Megan looked at each other, that was exactly what she'd been doing last night too. "I figured if she didn't want to talk, then I couldn't force her to, so I stopped making her go," Mrs. Taylor continued. "I guess maybe I should've paid more attention, realized the signs sooner."

Don and Megan looked at each other and both took a deep breath.

"So, what now?" Megan asked.

Mrs. Taylor shrugged. "Now, you continue your investigation, if she's not charged with anything, I'll find another home for her and try to pay closer attention this time."

"Wait…that's it?" Don asked incredulously. Mrs. Taylor looked at him in confusion. "You're not gonna help her unless she doesn't get sent to prison?"

"What do you expect me to do Agent Eppes?" she snapped. "Not many families are willing to take in juvenile delinquents, and most of the ones that are already have their hands full," she retorted.

"So, you're not even going to try?" Megan spat.

Mrs. Taylor rolled her eyes. "What's the point?" she countered exasperatedly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of other places I have to be today," she said in strained politeness. "Oh, and here's another set of clothes of Jamie's I was able to find, I understand the ones she was wearing are now evidence," she added, handing Megan back the file and a grocery sack with some old clothes in it and walking away.

Don and Megan watched her go. Don sighed, and Megan shook her head.

"It could be months before anyone is charged, let alone the time a trial could take!" Megan muttered angrily.

Don nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and meanwhile Jamie's going to be sitting in a jail cell," he huffed.

"Which isn't going to help her at all," Megan added seriously. "If anything, it might make matters worse."

Don shrugged. "I know, I agree with you. But what can we do about it?" he sighed.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, but I still have homework and I'm gonna be busy next week, so I don't know when I'll be able to finish it. Hopefully it'll be up soon! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter! I hadn't really intended this part to take up a whole chapter, but hey, since when do things work out like we intend? Oh well, hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3

Alan looked up when he heard the front door open and shut. He smiled to himself as he pulled the casserole out of the oven.

"You have impeccable timing when it comes to food," he stated when he heard someone enter the kitchen, not needing to look up to see that it was his eldest son.

"I think it's just luck really," Don replied.

Alan looked at him, noticing the smirk on his son's face.

"You look tired," Alan commented, looking at Don more carefully.

Don shrugged. "It's been a long couple of days."

Alan nodded understandingly. Well, he didn't understand, but he knew how much stress Don's job could put on him sometimes.

"So, you hungry?" he asked. "This should be ready to eat in about ten minutes."

Don hesitated for a second before saying, "Actually…I was kinda hoping for a favor…"

Alan watched him curiously. "What kind of favor?" he questioned skeptically.

"I was wondering if someone could use my old room," he started slowly. "It won't be for very long, and I'll be here too," Don assured him.

Alan furrowed his brows. "Did you bring home another witness in the form of a little boy?" he questioned, slightly sardonic yet slightly teasing.

Don chuckled a little but shook his head. "Not exactly," he replied. Alan raised his eyebrows in question. "Well, first off she's fifteen, and secondly…she's not exactly a witness."

"What does that mean?" Alan asked, noticing Don's apprehensive tone.

"Well, right now she's the only suspect," Don admitted. Noticing Alan was getting ready to say something, he quickly added, "But it's complicated. It's not like there will be any danger, and me or Megan will be here anytime she is."

Alan sighed. "I know that Donnie, I know you well enough to know you'd never put any of us in danger," he assured him. "Can I ask you something though?" Don nodded. "Do you think she did it? Whatever it is she's a suspect in."

Don took a deep breath. "I think she's a scared kid who was already in a bad situation to begin with," he answered quietly, being totally honest yet trying to avoid answering his father's question with a simple yes or no, since he still didn't have a clue what _had_ happened.

Alan sighed, noticing his son's slight evasiveness, but decided not to push for more.

"Does she not have anywhere else to go?" he asked resignedly.

Don shook his head. "She's a foster kid, and the social worker says she's got too many other kids to worry about so she's not gonna try to find another placement for her unless she's not charged," he informed Alan dejectedly. "It was either this or she's stuck in juvie until this whole thing is over, and you know how long cases can take sometimes."

Alan nodded sadly, but then looked at Don. "I thought you said she wouldn't be here for very long?" he questioned, remembering Don's earlier words.

Don shook his head. "She won't be. Megan's working on finding somewhere else for her to stay, so it'll just be temporary," he explained.

Alan took a deep breath and nodded. "OK," he agreed.

"Thanks Dad," Don told him sincerely.

Alan smiled. "So, where is she?"

Don smirked. "In the living room."

Alan raised his eyebrows. "You were that sure I'd say yes?" he questioned dryly.

Don shrugged, with a small grin on his face. "Mostly."

Alan chuckled, shaking his head, and followed Don out into the living room.

"Jamie, this is my dad Alan, Dad, this is Jamie," Don introduced.

"It's nice to meet you Jamie," Alan smiled warmly at the teenager, who he noticed seemed very on edge and timid, holding out his hand.

Jamie looked back and forth between Alan and his extended hand for a minute before cautiously shaking it. "You too," she replied quietly.

Alan glanced at Don for a second before turning back to Jamie. "Well, I was just getting dinner ready, so I hope you're hungry," he said kindly.

She couldn't have seemed more tense or uncomfortable, and her eyes kept darting around everywhere nervously. But she gave a small nod to Alan in response.

He smiled at her, hoping to make her feel less uncomfortable. "Why don't you go wash up, we'll be in in a second," he told her warmly.

She glanced back and forth between Don and Alan for a second before nodding slightly.

"Kitchen's right through there," Don told her.

Jamie nodded and went into the kitchen. Don and Alan watched her go.

"Quiet girl," Alan commented lightly.

Don nodded. "You said it," he muttered in agreement, heading into the kitchen as well.

0

Dinner was a quiet affair. Alan tried to make light conversation with Jamie, though Don knew she probably wasn't the type of person who liked small talk, and he was right, Jamie barely said anything and seemed on edge the whole time. After they were finished eating Jamie offered to help clean up, but Alan refused, saying he figured she was probably tired and could go on and get some sleep. She didn't put up much of a fight, and Don showed her the room she'd be staying in.

"Well, this is it," he sighed when they got into his old room. Jamie looked around, but didn't say anything. Don wasn't sure what was going on in her head, and really didn't know what to say. "Um…bathroom's down the hall, you know where the kitchen is in case you get hungry, and I'll be downstairs if you need anything," he told her.

"OK," she mumbled quietly, still seeming nervous. Don couldn't help but wonder whether she always acted that way or if it was just because of the unfamiliar settings and everything that had happened in the past thirty-six hours almost, he made a mental note to ask Megan about that.

Don nodded. "Well, I'll let you get some sleep." When he was almost out the door he turned back and said, "Oh, and there are extra blankets on the shelf in the closet if you need 'em."

Jamie nodded slowly. Don watched her for a second, debating whether or not to say anything, but decided against it and started to leave again.

"Hey." Don almost didn't hear her muffled word, but turned back to look at her. She seemed hesitant at first, but then Jamie looked him in the eyes and said quietly, "Thanks." He could hear the sincerity in her voice.

Don gave her a small smile. "You're welcome." She managed to return the smile for the most part, though Don could tell it clearly wasn't an expression she was used to wearing. "Night Jamie."

"Night."

0

It was after midnight before Don finally laid down to go to sleep. He'd spent a couple hours going over case files, though he wasn't really sure what he expected to find that they didn't already know. One of the ones he kept rereading was Jamie's file. Though he'd already read it, and Megan had gone over it a few times already too, there was something bugging Don. He just couldn't seem to find a way to understand the teenager that was upstairs in his old room, who was still lying awake when he'd checked.

Something wasn't sitting right with him about the whole situation. His instincts were telling him there was more going on than met the eye, Jamie just didn't seem like the type of person who would kill somebody if they had any other choice. And Megan couldn't find anything that would suggest she'd be prone to offensive violence, sure she'd shown she would defend herself _if_ she had to, her records from her stints in juvie proved that, but Megan agreed that if she'd had too much and just snapped she certainly wasn't acting like it. He and Megan both agreed that, even though she wasn't saying much of anything right now, there was something she was trying _not_ to say, and it scared her. But what that something was, they weren't sure.

Around three in the morning, though he'd tried, Don still couldn't sleep. He heard someone go to the bathroom and knew it had to be Jamie, neither Alan or Charlie tried to stay quiet. He wondered if she'd even slept at all yet. When Charlie had come down for a glass of water about an hour ago he'd told Don that he'd noticed Jamie was still awake, or at least he thought so since her eyes were open, though he did know students who would sleep with their eyes open in class.

Though unsure of what time he'd actually gotten to sleep, Don knew it hadn't seemed like very long when Alan shook him awake.

"What time is it?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes and opening them to look at his father, who was standing over him.

"Five-thirty," Alan answered hastily.

Don groaned, but threw the blanket off and sat up on the couch, noticing his father's anxious expression.

"What's wrong?" he questioned uneasily.

"I looked in your old room, you know, just to check on Jamie –" Don motioned for him to continue, not needing him to explain his compulsive need to check up on people and make sure they were okay. "Well, she wasn't there," Alan told him worriedly.

Don furrowed his eyebrows, and stood up and started heading upstairs.

"I'm not sure what happened, I never heard anything," Alan continued, following his son, but Don tuned out his worried rambling.

When he got in the room, Don noticed the bed was still made, though Jamie had been laying on top of the covers when he'd checked on her before he went to bed. He went over to the window but found it closed and still locked. He looked around the room, ignoring Alan's worried glances. Don paused for a second when he saw the closet.

On a hunch, he walked over and opened the closet door. Sure enough, curled up on the floor inside was Jamie.

"What's she doing in there?" Alan whispered as he came over by his son, trying to keep his voice down so he wouldn't wake her up, though Don did hear the relief in his father's voice.

Don shrugged. "It's probably the only place she felt safe enough to let herself go to sleep," he replied.

Alan gave him a curious look. "What do you mean?"

Don glanced at his father out of the corner of his eyes, but didn't answer. He didn't have the heart to tell his dad that Jamie had been the victim of neglect and abuse most of her life. Alan seemed to guess he wouldn't want to know the answer though, and didn't push the matter any further.

"Should we wake her up?" Alan questioned, watching the girl on the floor sleep.

Don shook his head. "Nah, let her sleep. She's probably exhausted. We'll wake her up in a couple hours if she's not already up."

Alan nodded, trusting Don's judgment on the subject. He turned around when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, and saw Don grabbing the pillow off the bed. Alan couldn't resist the smile that came to his face as he watched his eldest son gently lift up Jamie's head so he could slide the pillow underneath. He reached up and grabbed one of the spare blankets off the shelf and handed it to Don, who looked at him curiously.

"What? She looks cold," Alan replied in mock defensiveness.

Don grinned and shook his head. But he couldn't argue, Jamie was only wearing a t-shirt and old hooded jacket, and her jeans looked worn out so they probably didn't offer much warmth either. But he also knew that she'd probably been a lot worse off before. Her file said she had run away several times, and Don guessed she had probably slept in the streets or in a park, and it could definitely get cold during the night.

"She looks so young, doesn't she?" Alan commented.

Don nodded as he covered her with the blanket. It was true. In her sleep, all the walls were down. Jamie didn't have her usual always-on-edge guard up. Though the mature-beyond-her-years air about her was still there, etched into her features, she still just looked like a vulnerable fifteen year old kid.

"Oh, I think I see the paper boy," Alan stated, glancing out the window. "I'll see you downstairs," he added to Don, who nodded absently, and left the room.

Don sighed as he bit his lip and shook his head sadly as he watched her sleep. Seeing the peaceful look on her face, he realized she'd probably exhausted herself into a dreamless sleep. He pushed a strand of her hair back out of her face, though in doing so he noticed a bruise starting to form at the base of her hairline behind her ear and down her neck. He frowned slightly, wondering what had caused that. It was obviously fairly recent since it was only now starting to show.

He took a breath and stood up, glancing down at Jamie one last time before smirking slightly as he shut the door back and headed back downstairs.

0

Don was eating a bowl of cereal, looking through some of the chat room logs Amita had found on Milson's computer, though Megan was going to take a look at them when she stopped by later too. He glanced up when he heard someone coming down the stairs, he knew it was Jamie since Alan and Charlie had already left twenty minutes earlier.

"Morning," he greeted when she came into the dining room, noticing she still looked tired.

"Hi," she replied quietly, glancing around nervously, almost like she was expecting something to jump out at her.

"You hungry?" Don asked her lightly. "We got cereal and there are some leftovers in the fridge."

Jamie looked at him curiously, bearing an almost striking resemblance to a deer caught in a headlight. She slowly started to process what he said and muttered, "Uh, cereal sounds good."

Don nodded, and got up and went into the kitchen, Jamie following uncertainly.

"Bowls are in that cabinet," he told her, pointing to one near where she was standing.

She nodded and grabbed one of the bowls out of it. When she turned back around, Jamie noticed Don was holding two boxes of cereal.

"Corn Flakes or Cocoa Puffs?" She raised her eyebrows at the odd selection. Don smirked and shrugged. "My dad, and my brother," he explained, holding up the Corn Flakes and Cocoa Puffs boxes respectively.

"Ah," she muttered in comprehension. "Uh, Corn Flakes."

Don handed her the box, putting the other one back and grabbing the milk out of the fridge as she poured some cereal into the bowl.

"Younger?" Jamie inquired quietly as she put the top back onto the milk jug.

"Huh?" Don replied confused, trading her a spoon for the milk.

"Your brother, is he younger?" she asked again.

Don grinned. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

Jamie shrugged. "The way you seemed to be teasing him when you mentioned he's the one who likes Cocoa Puffs."

"Good observation," he complimented as they headed back into the dining room.

She shrugged again. "Not really," she mumbled. "I've just been around a lot of people who have younger siblings."

Don noticed her reserved tone, and didn't press the subject any further.

They sat there eating their cereal in silence for a couple minutes before Don broke the silence.

"You know I think we probably have a spare mattress pad and sleeping bag or something from one of our camping trips out in the garage if you'd rather not sleep on the floor again."

Jamie tensed as she glanced up at him. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but wasn't sure how much it actually helped.

"So it was you," she muttered, looking down at her bowl of cereal.

Don shrugged. "Well, Dad was the one who didn't see you in the room, then he got me."

"Did you think I'd run away?" she asked dismally.

"No," he answered, shaking his head. Jamie looked at him, curious. "I would've heard you if you'd come downstairs, and the window was still locked."

She gave a slight nod in understanding, looking down again. "So how'd you know I was in the closet?"

Don smirked slightly. "Well, under the bed was too obvious."

Jamie looked back up at him, raising an eyebrow at his joke.

Don chuckled, but then became serious as he said, "No, it just seemed like the place you'd probably feel safest."

Jamie seemed to start retreating back into herself, looking away and becoming more on edge. Don was afraid she might stop talking again.

"You're safe here Jamie," he assured her, hoping it would be enough to ease her mind so she wouldn't shut down and put up all the walls she'd had up when she was first brought into the office.

Jamie still didn't look up, and she was still very tense.

"No offense," she started quietly. "But I've heard that before. And it wasn't true."

Don sighed, not knowing how he was supposed to respond to that. He was sure she wasn't lying, but that didn't mean he knew what to say to that. He didn't know what he could say that would make her trust him, she'd probably heard it all before, and probably from people who most likely never even intended to keep their word.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I'll try to have the next one up soon. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4

"Hey," Don greeted as Megan came in the craftsman.

"Hey," she replied, and then sighed, "So, how's she doing?"

Don took a deep breath, and shook his head. "I honestly don't know." Megan gave him a curious look, and he proceeded to fill her in on everything that had happened since last night.

When he was finished, Megan sighed and nodded.

"Well, she probably is uneasy anywhere she goes. With all the moving around she's done, I doubt she ever lets her guard down and starts to relax." Don nodded in agreement. "But," Megan continued, and Don looked at her curiously. "I think she _might_ want to believe you, but she's afraid to." Don shrugged slightly in agreement. "I'm willing to bet a lot of people lie to her and not many are honest with her. She's probably afraid to trust anyone, afraid she'll get hurt again."

Don nodded. "Yeah, but how can we get her to tell us what happened if she won't trust us?"

Megan shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Just keep trying, I guess. Try to get her to believe we really just wanna help."

0

"Hi Jamie," Megan said friendlily as her and Don entered the room.

Jamie looked over and sat up on the bed. "Hi," she replied quietly.

There was silence for a few seconds before Megan finally broke it.

"You look tired," she commented to Jamie, who looked at her curiously. "Did you get much sleep last night?"

"Enough," she answered in a muffled voice, glancing around nervously.

Don and Megan shared a quick glance with each other.

"You need to sleep Jamie," Megan told her softly, slowly walking over. "You'll wear yourself out if you don't."

Jamie didn't say anything, she just looked away.

"You mind?"

Jamie glanced up and noticed Megan was motioning to the spot next to her on the bed. Slowly and hesitantly, Jamie shook her head, and Megan sat down next to her.

After a couple moments of silence, Megan shared an apprehensive look with Don before looking back over at Jamie. Cautiously, she reached her hand up to brush Jamie's hair out of her face and back behind her ear. Jamie noticeably tensed, to the point where she didn't move. Megan repressed a sigh, but continued to tuck Jamie's hair behind her ear, noticing the bruise Don had mentioned as she did so.

"What happened there?" Megan asked her carefully, trying not to push her too hard.

Jamie looked away again, pulling her hair back down over the bruise, though whether that was a conscious move or not, Megan wasn't sure. "Nothing," Jamie muttered.

Megan and Don glanced at each other before Megan turned back to Jamie. "It doesn't look like nothing," she countered gently.

Jamie didn't reply.

"Did someone do that to you?" Don asked quietly, but blunt.

Don and Megan both noticed Jamie tense, but otherwise she didn't respond.

"Jamie…" Megan started softly, trying to get the teenager to look at her. "Did someone hurt you?"

She still didn't respond. The only movement Jamie made was pulling the sleeves of her jacket down over her hands.

"You _can_ talk to us Jamie," Don assured her.

"We just want to help," Megan added.

Jamie was still looking down, but she muttered, "That's what they all say."

Don and Megan both heard the resentfulness in her tone, and glanced at each other uneasily.

"Who said that?" Megan asked gently.

Jamie shook her head, still looking down. "It doesn't matter," she mumbled.

Megan looked helplessly at Don, who sighed and grabbed the desk chair and pulled it over by the bed, sitting down so that he was facing Jamie, who seemed even more on edge.

"Jamie…" he started, leaning his elbows on his knees, trying to get her to look at him. "Whoever they are…we're _not_ them. We really do want to help," he assured her firmly. Jamie still didn't look up, just tugged on her sleeves more. "You _can_ trust us Jamie," Don told her quietly.

After seeing Jamie wasn't going to respond, and a few minutes of silence, Megan placed a comforting hand on Jamie's shoulder, noticing her tense up more under the touch.

"What's got you so scared Jamie?" Megan asked her softly.

Jamie didn't answer, just kept looking down.

"Does it have anything to do with the other night?" Don questioned gently.

She still didn't answer, but instead of continuing to look down she looked away.

"Is that when you got this?" Megan inquired quietly, motioning to the bruise on her neck.

Jamie went stock-still tense, Don and Megan could both tell it was her fighting the urge to flinch away. They glanced at Jamie, then back at each other, both taking a deep breath. They knew one of them was going to have to ask.

Finally, Megan bit the bullet, and asked, "Did someone attack you?"

Jamie didn't answer, in fact she refused to even look up.

Megan and Don shared a look. They knew they weren't going to be able to get Jamie to tell them, not yet anyway.

Megan sighed and looked at Jamie. "Will you at least let me take you to the hospital, let a doctor check you out and make sure you're okay?" she asked her with earnest concern.

0

"Hey Don," Colby greeted when Don got to the office.

"Hey guys," Don replied, coming over to where David and Colby were working.

"How's Jamie?" Colby asked.

"She's at the hospital with Megan getting checked out," Don answered.

"She okay?" David questioned.

"We think someone might've attacked her," Don informed them. "There's a pretty recent bruise going down her neck, almost like someone grabbed her neck to hold on to her or something. And she won't tell us how she got it, but she did get pretty tense when we asked if someone had attacked her."

"Do you think –" David started.

"Megan's gonna try to convince her to let 'em get a rape kit," Don answered, knowing what David was going to ask. David nodded. "But I doubt we'll be able to get any evidence, not this long after the fact."

"Yeah, but at least we'll know if something _did_ happen to her," Colby pointed out. "It'll at least give us a better idea of what's going on." Don and David both nodded in agreement.

"So, what've you guys found?" Don asked.

David and Colby glanced at each other and then back at Don.

"Well, we think we might've found a connection between Jamie and our dead guy," Colby told him. "But it's not much," he added.

"What is it?" Don inquired curiously, opening up the folder Colby had handed him.

"Amita and Charlie were able to get the IP address our vic's chat room pal was using," David started. "We traced it back to a computer at Jefferson High School."

"Jefferson?" Don repeated, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Because that's the last high school Jamie was at before she ran away," Colby answered.

Don still looked confused. "That doesn't make any sense though…" he muttered.

"It shouldn't," David told him. "The computer wasn't one of the student's…it's a teacher's, a student wouldn't have access."

"And even if she could find a way around that, the messages continue all the way up to last week, and Jamie hasn't been in that school since almost three months ago," Colby added.

"Which is not long after the messages started," David added.

Don furrowed his eyebrows. "So Milson's chat room girlfriend is a teacher at Jamie's old school–" he started.

"Her and Milson started talking about a week before Jamie ran away," David added.

"And they continued talking until last week," Colby finished.

All three men had contemplative looks on their faces.

"Is it just me, or does this all seem weird to you guys too?" Colby questioned.

Don and David nodded in agreement.

"What's the connection though?" David wondered.

"Good question," Don mumbled. "OK, why don't you guys go talk to this teacher, see what she knows," he instructed. David and Colby nodded and left.

Don sighed, running a hand over his face. This case just kept confusing him more and more.

0

"Ms. Thompson?" David questioned as he and Colby entered the classroom, carefully avoiding the students rushing out the door.

"Yes?" she replied, turning away from putting a stack of papers on her desk.

"Agents Sinclair and Granger, FBI," David introduced, him and Colby holding up their badges.

"What can I do for you?" Ms. Thompson asked politely, though David and Colby noticed her start slightly.

David and Colby shared a quick glance at each other.

"Ms. Thompson…do you recognize this man?" David asked her, holding up a picture of Milson.

After a few seconds, she finally answered, "No, I've never seen him before." Ms. Thompson looked back up at David and Colby. "Why? Who is he?"

"He was killed a couple days ago," Colby informed her.

"And we have reason to believe that you might've known him," David said.

"What? Why?" Ms. Thompson asked briskly.

"Because according to chat room logs, he was talking to someone using _that_ computer," Colby told her, pointing to the computer on her desk.

Ms. Thompson's expression went from incredulous to you've-got-to-be-kidding-me. "Agent Granger, do you realize how many people he could've been talking to?" she asked him slowly. When he and David just looked at each other and then back at her, she continued, "Well, let me give you a hint…Besides the other teachers and myself, any one of these kids could've figured out a login key that would work, not to mention how many of them have enough computer skills to just make it _seem_ like they were using this computer when in reality they were on their laptop, some fancy cell phone, or even one of the student computers."

"You seem pretty confident it wasn't a teacher," David noted.

"If we wanted to get on a chat room, we wouldn't use the school's computers," she told him easily. "The school monitor's internet activity on every computer."

"So you've never been on a chat room during a break or something?" Colby questioned.

Ms. Thompson looked him in the eyes. "No," she answered firmly. "And I've never met that man before in my life," she added, pointing to the picture in David's hand.

"Do you remember a student named Jamie Sanderfauld?" David asked her.

Ms. Thompson's eyebrows raised in recognition, increasing David and Colby's curiosity. "Miss Sanderfauld hasn't been to school in –"

"Almost three months," Colby finished for her.

She glanced at him curiously, but nodded. "That's right," she said slowly. "One day she just stopped showing up, apparently she ran away or something like that," she commented nonchalantly. "She could be anywhere," Ms. Thompson stated.

"Actually, we know where she is," David said.

Ms. Thompson raised her eyebrows in question.

"She's a suspect in a murder investigation," Colby informed her.

Ms. Thompson laughed lightly. "Jamie?" she asked incredulously. "That's absurd."

David and Colby glanced at each other again. "What makes you say that?" David questioned.

Ms. Thompson smiled at him. "Because Jamie's not that type of person," she told him sincerely.

"What kind of person is she then?" Colby asked.

She sighed. "Look, Jamie's a quiet kid, keeps to herself, doesn't bother anyone. She could've easily been the top student in her class if she actually applied herself, she's smart. I expected a lot out of her, tried to push her to do better."

"So what happened?" David asked.

Ms. Thompson shrugged. "Like I said, she was a quiet kid who kept to herself. She always seemed like she was in her own little world or something. Though she did surprise me by always being able to answer a question correctly when I thought she wasn't paying attention," she added with a grin. "And she was starting to raise her grades. I pushed her to do better, and she rose to the challenge." Ms. Thompson sighed. "I think most of her problem was that nobody ever expected much out of her, so she just didn't try. Sometimes all these kids need is a little push in the right direction," she told them fondly. Then she took a deep breath and said, "But then one day she was just gone."

"Did you ever get the feeling something was going on at home?" David questioned.

"Like?" Ms. Thompson replied.

"Like abuse?" Colby supplied.

Her eyes widened as she looked back and forth between David and Colby. "You think Jamie was being abused?" she asked faintly.

"It's possible," David told her.

Ms. Thompson looked surprised. "No…I never suspected anything like that," she admitted.

"But…you did suspect something?" Colby questioned, noticing her tone.

Ms. Thompson took a deep breath. "Well, she was starting to seem more distant," she informed them. "But I didn't really think too much of it." She shrugged. "And then she just stopped showing up to class, I was curious, and I finally heard that she'd run away."

David and Colby looked at each other.

"Thank you for your time Ms. Thompson," David told her, and they turned to leave.

"Agent Sinclair?" David and Colby stopped and turned to look at her. "I don't think Jamie would've killed that man," Ms. Thompson told them.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I'll try to have an update soon, but tomorrow's going to be a busy day for me so I may not have a lot of time to write. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Sorry, I finished this chapter a couple hours ago, but I didn't have time to upload it before class. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

"So what'd the teacher have to say?" Don asked when David and Colby got back.

"She's hiding something," Colby told him.

"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?" Don questioned.

"The way she was acting," Cobly started. "It was like at one point she was being totally honest, the other she was trying to figure out what lie would work the best."

"She was definitely a little spooked to see us," David said.

"And a little too defensive when we asked her if she'd been on a chat room," Colby added.

"But she did seem adamant that Jamie wouldn't kill someone," David informed him.

Don nodded, taking in all the information.

"So where is Jamie?" Colby asked. "Shouldn't they be finished at the hospital by now?"

"Yeah, Megan called about ten minutes ago. They were going back to the house," Don answered.

"What did the doctor say?" David inquired, noticing the distracted look in Don's eyes.

Don sighed. "That there was no way that bruise on her neck got there by accident."

"So someone _did_ attack her," Colby stated.

Don nodded slowly. "Looks like it," he muttered.

"Did Megan convince her to let 'em get a rape kit?" David asked. Don nodded. "And?"

"And…" Don took a deep breath. "Someone did rape her," he told them dejectedly. "But the doctor said that there was also trauma to suggest there's been a history of sexual assault."

David and Colby shared a sickened look.

"Man…" Colby muttered, shaking his head slightly.

"Were they able to get any DNA evidence?" David questioned quietly.

Don shook his head. "The doctor said they might've worn a condom, but it's more likely that it's just been too long after the fact." David nodded sadly.

"So where does this leave us?" Colby wondered. "I mean, we've got a dead guy with an unknown internet girlfriend, a teacher who's hiding something and most likely was the one our vic was talking to, and a fifteen year old rape victim found next to our vic covered in blood. What part of any of this is making sense?"

0

"Hey," Don greeted when he came into the craftsman. Megan nodded back in reply. "So, what's going on over there?" he asked her, looking over where Alan and Jamie were sitting at the dining room table with Larry standing off to the side.

Megan smirked. "Apparently Jamie's beating Alan in chess," she informed him. Don raised his eyebrows.

"Hey Larry," Don said, greeting the physicist as he and Megan came over.

"Oh hello Don," Larry replied distractedly, still engrossed in watching Alan and Jamie.

"Check," Jamie mumbled.

Alan looked startled, looking around the chess board then back up at the teenager. "How'd you do that?" he questioned curiously.

Jamie shrugged.

"It's about time someone besides Charlie gave him a run for his money," Don chuckled.

Alan mock glared at him. "Says the one who once lost in four moves," he retorted.

Don held his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, I never claimed to be good at chess," he shot back as Alan moved. "Besides, I was seventeen and playing Charlie, I don't think that counts," he added lightly.

"Checkmate," Jamie said quietly, looking up at Alan, whose jaw dropped slightly.

"Very well played," Larry complimented.

"Not bad Jamie," Megan agreed.

"Good game," Alan told her appreciatively. "Where did you learn to play so well?" he asked as they started resetting the pieces.

Jamie's eyes seemed to focus on the board instead of looking at anyone. "I had this foster brother once who was on the chess team, he made me practice with him all the time," she answered quietly.

"Have you ever been in any clubs or on any teams?" Alan inquired conversationally.

Jamie shook her head, still not making any eye contact with anyone. "No, I never stay in one place long enough," she answered indifferently, but there was a reserved edge to her voice.

"Ah," Alan muttered, regarding the teenager with caring as he began to understand a little more about her.

Don and Megan looked at each other, they both knew how many times she'd had to move in the past year alone, but they also knew that that was low on the list of her troubles.

0

When Don was coming back through the dining room, he noticed Alan leaning against the wall looking into the living room.

"What's up?" he questioned, coming up by his father, and following his line of sight saw that he was watching Jamie, who was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"I was just thinking," Alan replied quietly.

"About what?" Don asked apprehensively.

"About how rough Jamie's life must be," he answered softly.

"Dad…" Don started slowly. He glanced back into the living room, it still looked like Jamie was watching TV.

"I mean, can you imagine how hard it must be to move around all the time," Alan continued, as though he hadn't heard Don. "Changing homes, schools, _families_ all the time… That's no life for a kid," he stated dismally, shaking his head slowly, looking at Don.

Don sighed, and gave a slight shrug. "Yeah, I agree with you. The system's not perfect, but what other option is there?"

Alan looked Don in the eyes. "Good question," he muttered, and went into the kitchen.

Don took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second. He finally opened them and went into the living room.

"What's on?" he questioned lightly.

Jamie shrugged. "Something Megan was watching," she mumbled, moving her knees closer to her chest as he sat down on the couch.

Don nodded, and watched her for a second, it was clear she wasn't really paying attention to the show.

0

"Looks like someone's tired," Larry commented lightly after dinner.

Don and Megan glanced over into the living room where Larry was looking and saw Jamie had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Well, it's about time she got some sleep, she could use it," Alan said, sounding very parental.

Megan looked at Don uneasily though, she'd told him earlier she thought the reason Jamie tried to exhaust herself into sleep was because she didn't want to dream, most likely because of nightmares. Don looked back at her and shrugged as if to say 'There's nothing we can do about it now'.

0

Megan had stayed behind when Larry left. She said it was because she and Don needed to discuss something for the case, though Don and Larry both knew it was really because she was worried about Jamie, but neither man argued with her.

Charlie and Alan had already gone up to bed, and Don and Megan, true to what she had said, were discussing the case. Neither of them could figure out what Ms. Thompson was hiding. Megan's guess on the subject was that _if_ she was involved, maybe she'd just never intended Jamie to be involved as well.

When Don had gone to get a drink, Megan went into the living room to check on Jamie.

As she watched her sleep, Megan noticed that she looked anything but peaceful. Jamie's eyes were squeezed shut, it looked like she was trying to stop whatever was going through her mind. Her facial expression was a grimace, and she kept moving around, occasionally flinching.

Megan wasn't sure what to do. She knew it wasn't a good idea to wake a person up from a nightmare, but she also felt bad for Jamie, Megan had a feeling whatever this dream was, it was probably a memory she didn't want to relive, especially since tears were starting to fall. But she didn't have to debate with herself for too long because all at once Jamie's eyes shot open and she jerked up into a sitting position. She was breathing quickly and tears were rolling down her face, but Megan also noticed that it looked like Jamie was trying not to make a sound.

"Jamie?" Megan said quietly, cautiously moving towards her, trying not to spook her.

But Jamie started, eyes shooting toward Megan. Megan saw the fear in her eyes, but knew she was still reeling from the nightmare.

"Hey," she started softly, sitting down on the couch in front of Jamie, who hugged her knees to her chest and tried to control her breathing. "It's okay Jamie, you're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you," Megan tried to assure her, though she wasn't sure how much good it was doing.

Jamie was still crying, and starting to shake. She refused to look at Megan, who sighed.

"Jamie…" she said gently, moving slowly toward her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. But Jamie flinched and tried to scoot back, but there was nowhere for her to go. Megan noticed the panicked look come into her eyes. "Jamie…It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," she assured the teenager sincerely. It seemed to help, since Jamie stopped trying to get away, but she was still very on edge. "Hey…it's okay Jamie. No one's going to hurt you. I promise."

But the scared, panicked look was still there, and Jamie was still tense, and still crying. Megan slowly brought her into a hug. Though Jamie tried to fight it, Megan didn't back down, and kept holding on until she finally started to relax a little.

"It's okay Jamie," Megan told her softly, still hugging her tightly.

When Don returned from the kitchen it was to see Megan holding on to Jamie and whispering reassurances. He realized Jamie must've had a nightmare, but Megan seemed to be starting to calm her down. He caught Megan's eye, and they both smiled sadly.

0

"Hey. You look tired," Colby commented when Don got to the office.

Don nodded. "Yeah, it was a long night," he replied.

"What happened?" David asked.

"Jamie fell asleep on the couch after dinner, and Megan had this theory about why she usually doesn't sleep much," he started, then sighed. "And she was right."

"Nightmares?" Colby guessed. Don nodded. "Yeah, I had a couple buddies from Afghanistan who had nightmares for a while. It's not that surprising that Jamie would too after some of the stuff she's been through." Don nodded in agreement.

"So we get anything new yet?" Don questioned.

"We're looking into Ms. Thompson's records, but so far nothing," Colby told him.

"And the ME called," David informed him. "Said she found something we might wanna take a look at."

Don nodded. "OK, why don't you go check it out," he said to David, who nodded and left.

"Hey, who's that?" Cobly asked, nodding to a woman coming over.

Don looked around to see who Colby was talking about and saw Mrs. Taylor walking toward them. He repressed the urge to roll his eyes, but couldn't stop himself from sighing exasperatedly as he saw the annoyed look on her face.

"Colby, meet Mrs. Taylor, Jamie's social worker," Don introduced. "Mrs. Taylor, Colby Granger."

"Nice to meet you," Colby told her politely, shaking her hand.

Mrs. Taylor nodded. "Likewise Agent Granger," she replied.

"What can I do for you Mrs. Taylor?" Don questioned.

She turned to Don, a scowl on her face. "What were you thinking?" she barked. Don sighed. "You think you can just move kids around without _my_ OK?"

"Well, considering you didn't seem to care what happened to her, we didn't think it'd matter," Don retorted. "Besides, _your boss _OK'd it."

"Well, _I_ don't think it's a good idea," Mrs. Taylor continued irritatedly. "But since you and Agent Reeves seemed so determined to 'help' Miss Sanderfauld, I found a home for her to stay in for the time being," she added in a calmer tone. Don and Colby just stared at her. "Have her ready to go by two," Mrs. Taylor told Don. "I'll be by to pick her up then."

0

Megan looked up when Don entered the craftsmen.

"What's wrong?" she questioned apprehensively, noticing the look on his face.

"Where's Jamie?" he asked, ignoring Megan's question.

"In the bathroom," she answered, standing up to face him. "Don, what's going on?" she pressed.

Don sighed, and looked her in the eyes. "Mrs. Taylor is coming to get Jamie," he informed her quietly.

Megan looked at him incredulously. "What?"

"There was nothing I could do," he told her helplessly. "She found another home for her to stay in, and she'll be here soon to pick her up."

"When's she coming?"

Don and Megan both turned when they heard the quiet voice, and saw Jamie standing at the edge of the room, looking remarkably calm. They glanced at each other, and sighed.

"She'll be here in about twenty minutes," Don answered. Jamie just nodded, her gaze directed at the floor.

0

"Mrs. Taylor," Megan greeted stiffly.

"Agent Reeves," she acknowledged in the same manner. "Ah, Miss Sanderfauld," Mrs. Taylor said sweetly, though Megan rolled her eyes, when Don and Jamie came into the room.

Jamie glanced at her, but otherwise made no indication that she'd heard her.

Mrs. Taylor sighed. "Well, are you ready to go?" Jamie nodded slightly. "Let's get going then," Mrs. Taylor said casually.

Megan grabbed Jamie's arm gently when she'd started to follow Mrs. Taylor. Jamie looked at her in confusion.

"Here's our numbers," Megan started quietly, handing her a piece of paper. "Mine and Don's cell phone numbers are on there. If something happens, or you just wanna talk, anything…"

Jamie looked at the paper uncertainly, but didn't say anything.

"Call us if you need to," Don told her softly.

Mrs. Taylor muttered, "Come on", and Jamie glanced at the piece of paper, then back and forth between Don and Megan, and nodded before following Mrs. Taylor.

Don and Megan watched them get in the car and drive away, neither failing to notice how much more on edge Jamie had become around Mrs. Taylor.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Megan mumbled.

Don looked sideways at her. He sighed and put an arm around her shoulder. "Jamie's a tough kid, she'll be okay."

Megan shook her head sadly. "Surviving and being okay are two different things Don," she said quietly. "If nothing else happens, it'll still be years before she's okay."

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I hope you liked that chapter! There are going to be at least two more after this one, after that I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm gonna try to have an update up soon. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


End file.
